All of the articles are written by Kent Heaton.
Use of these articles are free to the seeking of truth.
Please remember to seek truth in accordance with God's word, not mine.
Labels are given because of character flaws found in individuals. Thomas, an apostle of Jesus Christ, has been labeled “Doubting Thomas.” Sadly, this brand imposed by men has left many with little knowledge of the true faith of Thomas. We are familiar with the story following Jesus’ resurrection that Thomas did not believe the other apostles who saw Jesus alive (John 20:24-29). Overlooked in the life of Thomas is the struggles he had with his faith not long before the death of Jesus.
John 11 tells the story when Jesus is told that Lazarus is sick and Mary and Martha have begged him to come heal their brother. Jesus tarries two days and when He tells His disciples they were returning to Judea, the disciples were concerned for His safety. “The disciples said to Him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?’" (John 11:8). Jesus knew that Lazarus would die but that the power of God would be shown to all men through the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:9-15). It was when Thomas heard the determined words of Jesus, “Nevertheless let us go unto him” (John 11:15) that Thomas’ faith was first revealed – “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16)
The faith of Thomas was the encouraging voice of valor to die with the Lord if necessary. These are bold words spoken in the calm of the moment. When Jesus declared to Peter that he would deny the Lord three times, Thomas raised his voice in faith saying he would not deny his Lord and he would be willing to die for the Lord (Mark 14:31). Thomas had great faith in Jesus Christ. His trust in Jesus was a confidence of reassurance to boldly defend the Lord at any cost. His faith, like the other disciples, paid a high price of denial when the mob came to arrest Jesus – “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
The second passage of faith is found in John 14:5 when Thomas says to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus had told them that He was going away and Thomas did not understand where Jesus could be going that they would not also go. The disciples had faced death in returning to Judea (John 11:16) but what could this mean? The Lord had been showing the disciples his forthcoming death and why He had come to the earth. They did not fully grasp what was about to happen. Thomas spoke up and declared his faith in the Lord by seeking to reassure the Lord they wanted to go with their Master – wherever He went. His faith was in the Lord.
It must have been crushing to Thomas to watch his Lord arrested, scourged and crucified. His hopes were dashed, his dreams were torn apart and his faith tested. His life was turned upside down when Jesus died. How could this happen to Jesus? Why did God allow this to happen? Why had Thomas separated himself from the other apostles on that day Jesus first appeared (John 20:19-24)? When the apostles came to Thomas and told him that Jesus was alive, his faith lingered on the scene of the cross and he sought for proof. Jesus gave him that proof and announced, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The faith of Thomas was whole again. He went on to serve the Lord in faith, never doubting again (John 21:1,2; Acts 1:13). May we have the faith of Thomas to rise from the ashes of doubt and trust in the work of God and to be a vital part of His work today – never doubting. back to top
The good news of salvation is found in the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is referred to on many occasions throughout the New Testament. “Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Mark begins his book with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). The early disciples went throughout the land “preaching the gospel” (Acts 8:25).
Paul defined the gospel in Romans 1:16 as the “power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The gospel will judge all men in the last day (Romans 2:16). Men will be punished for not obeying the “gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ and through the message of the gospel men obey the will of the Father.
Religious man proclaims the gospel in their own terms today. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the word of Christ found in the Bible. Examining the gospel preached by man today finds lacking the words from the word of God. This is not a new problem as Paul addressed the same dilemma in Galatians 1. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7.
Paul warns the churches of Galatia of the reality of a “different gospel.” Many had turned aside to this different message of salvation and followed a perverted, troubling and distorted gospel. Men today preach a perverted gospel when they preach matters that cannot be found in scripture. The religious world is troubled by a message that is not sanctioned from God. A distorted view of God and His plan of salvation is accepted by the masses as the will of God.
How can we tell if the gospel has been tainted? If the Bible is the divine word of God; received by men and delivered to other men through inspiration; preserved by God’s power through the centuries and received by men today; how can we teach anything not found in scripture? The Bible is the divine word (2 Timothy 3:16,17); men received the message and delivered it to others (Ephesians 3:3,4) and has been kept through the centuries by God’s power for all men today. Yet, most of the religious world follows a gospel that is a different gospel for what they practice is no where to be found within the pages of God’s word.
Peter proclaimed: “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11). How simple to find everything that we practice, believe and teach in the Bible. Legions are the things that churches practice and believe today that can never be found in the Bible. Yet they continue to preach a gospel that is different that what the Bible says. Examine the church you are a part of and make certain that everything – everything that is taught is found in the word of God. The name of the church, the organization, the pattern of benevolence, the plan of salvation, etc. must be found in God’s word. If it is not found in the word of God – reject it and challenge your church leaders. back to top
Before The Suffering Of The Cross
The scene of Jesus on the cross is one of unimaginable suffering. The means of crucifixion were designed to create the greatest level of suffering possibly endured by man. When Jesus was crucified, the Romans had perfected it to a level of science. They knew how much a man could take and yet still live. The condemned lingered for hours at the brink of death. Relief came only when the last breath was expelled and the soul returned unto God. The cross of Jesus is the focus of our lives as we see His suffering and His pain. The glory of the resurrection is the hope we share of heaven. However, the suffering of Jesus was not contained alone in the cross. Before His crucifixion, Jesus had already suffered greatly.
The scene unfolds with a prostrate man in a garden called Gethsemane. The companion's of Jesus are at a distance with three special friends nearby. Yet sorrow and distress overwhelms His heart as He cries out, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." While His disciples sleep, Jesus pours out His heart in earnest pleas to His Father, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." The real suffering begins.
Jesus agonizes in the garden but resigns His will to the Father. Angels are sent to strengthen him. "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." A cruel blow is sent to Jesus heart as his friend and companion for three years comes to betray him with a kiss and a greeting of, "Rabbi." The hands of Jesus are bound and He is led away to meet His death.
He is forced to walk more than two and one half miles to and from the various places of His trials. First He is taken to a high priest, Annas. Being questioned by Annas, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand. Annas then sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Jesus is placed in the center of a loud mob of accusers and false witnesses who bore testimony against him. "The men that held Jesus mocked him, and beat him. And some began to spit in his face and buffet him. They blindfolded him and some smote him with the palms of their hands saying, 'Prophecy unto us, thou Christ: who is he that struck thee?' And the officers received him with blows of their hands. And many other things spake they against him, reviling him." Sometime in all of these things, Jesus turned and looked at Peter and the cock crew the second time. Jesus was so alone with Peter cursing and swearing, "I know not this man of whom ye speak."
Again Jesus is bound and lead away to Pilate, the governor and it was early dawn. Jesus had already endured a traumatic and sleepless night of abuse. During the Roman trials, Jesus is grilled by Pilate, delivered to Herod where Jesus remained silent as the chief priests and the scribes vehemently accused Jesus. The soldiers of Herod set Jesus up and mocked him, arraying him in gorgeous apparel and then sent him back to Pilate. The vicious crowd cry for Jesus to be crucified as even Pilate proclaims the innocence of Jesus. Bowing to the wishes of the crowd, Pilate takes Jesus and scourges him. Here he is severely whipped as the lacerations would tear into his flesh and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. The soldiers then mocked Jesus by placing a crown of thorns on his head and again arraying him in a purple garment and striking him with their hands. As they removed the robe, the flesh tore again. They spit on Jesus and struck Jesus on the head with a reed. Then they took Jesus and crucified him. back to top
From the darkened cell of a Roman prison, a chain rattles softly as a prisoner finishes a letter to “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ in Colosse” (Colossians 1:2). Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse proclaims the exaltation of Jesus Christ and His supremacy. Battling the heresies that troubled the faithful brethren, the apostle establishes that only Christ can bear the authority of headship of “the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). The contrast is clear: a servant of God imprisoned under the Roman guard declares for the whole world that freedom is found in Him where “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” dwells (Colossians 2:9).
Paul suffered many times the imprisonment and humiliation of chains. He knew that “chains and tribulations” awaited him in every city (Acts 20:23). He experienced sleeplessness nights, fasting, needs, distresses, stripes and sorrows from the Jews, the Romans and sometimes from his own brethren: but Paul knew that all these things were only temporary moments of an eternal life. He encouraged the saints in Philippi as he sat in a Roman prison (Philippians 1:7). His captivity came from his declaring the “mystery of Christ” to a lost and dying world (Colossians 4:3).
To a young preacher, Paul exhorts: “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:8-10). Living godly brought trouble to Paul’s life. Being imprisoned interrupted any plans he may have had yet he found the faith to write and let others know of the saving power of the gospel. His chains held his mortal body in a Roman cell but not the ability to write to others about the word of God.
To most men, imprisonment was shameful. Paul was not ashamed of being chained for Christ. He understood the admonition of his brother in Christ: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:14-16).
Paul glorified God in his chains. He prayed that others would remember him in his chains and let his life be an example of walking worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:1). His desire was that all men find freedom; not from the shackles of man’s oppression but from the tyranny of the evil one who would condemn men to eternal darkness (Acts 26:29). In death Paul found the glory of being free in Christ which no chain could ever bind.
We carry chains about us. They burden us with heavy loads and toilsome lives. In the spirit of Paul we can look beyond these bonds and find ways to spread the word of God which cannot be bound. In our dark cells of despair we can look to the light of God inspiring us to trust in Him and seek Him in every way. Our lives can be molded to “remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrews 13:3). One day the chains of this life will be loosed and we will be free at last. Free in the eternal blessing of our father. back to top
Freedom is a precious stone shared by few and made precious by only those who understand its worth. Living in a land of freedom does not make us free. The heart is only free when one realizes the cost of liberty. Being free recognizes the darkness of bondage embraced by the pains of death. Independence comes from a price paid which no true worth can be measured for the cost is so high. To celebrate freedom without the observance of the sacrifice is a well without water.
Where is true freedom to be found but in the matters belonging unto God? The freedom we experience in our country is tempered by repeated changes throughout the years by the fickle nature of man. Liberty is relative to time when men seek to establish their laws. God is not like man! The freedom offered by God is unchangeable and cannot be altered by man. “God interposed by an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:17-19). The liberty given by God is guaranteed by the impossibility for God to lie.
The darkness of sin brings death (Romans 6:23). Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the one from whence freedom would come for all men. "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). Through the cross Jesus offered freedom to those who would be willing to take up their cross and follow Him.
Freedom is found in Jesus Christ. We are to stand fast in this liberty (Galatians 5;1) and remember that we are “called to liberty” (Galatians 5:13). That freedom is found where the Spirit of the Lord is. “And the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Freedom brings peace of mind to face the haunting darkness of death (Philippians 4:7). In Christ one has hope of eternal life that transcends the mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 5:1-1-8). The plague of fleshly temptation will not be victorious to those who are free from sin (Romans 6:12-22). Paul and Silas were imprisoned in a Roman jail but they sang songs of freedom (Acts 16:25). Epictetus (60-140 A.D.) said, “He whose body is chained, and his soul unbound, is free.” There are no cords of imprisonment to children of God.
Freedom comes from the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). By His sacrifice we are no longer bound in the chains of sin. Our liberty is the everlasting hope of “a pure river of Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). That is the greatest joy in our freedom. In the Spirit we find liberty and peace forever more. back to top
The world of 1492 was very small. Man knew very little about the earth as we know it today. Christopher Columbus sailed this important year with a crew of 87 to discover a new world. His adventure literally changed the face of the world and man came to realize the world was a much larger place. The world of 1492 was very different in regards to religion. We are familiar with the multitude of churches in our community. Today there are hundreds of different churches that fill the landscape. The Bible is interpreted responding to current thoughts and understanding of doctrine. But how does 1492 fit into this formula?
In almost every community, there are varied types of churches that bear different names with their own creed books and dogmas and beliefs. There are churches called Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Church of Christ, Mormon, Nazarene, Jehovah Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Catholic, Episcopalian and a myriad of differing forms of faith systems. In 1492, Columbus would not find a Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Mormon, Nazarene, Jehovah Witness, Seventh Day Adventist and Episcopalian church. At best, the Lutheran church was still 38 years away; the Presbyterian did not form until 1535; John Smyth established the Baptist church 115 years later and John Wesley organized the Methodist church 237 years after Columbus sailed to the new world.
The Roman Catholic Church had been in existence for centuries as the apostate church prophesied by the Holy Spirit in 1 Timothy 4. Other churches such as the Mormon, Jehovah Witness and Seventh Day Adventist were nearly 400 years away from beginning. When Columbus sailed in 1492, the modern day representation of “worship the church of your choice” was non-existent. Yet - there were in 1492 people of God devoted to Christ who worshiped in simple form of the New Testament pattern throughout the known world. How do we know this?
The church of the Lord began in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. It was called the “church” (Acts 2:47); “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16); “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2); “churches in Judea which were in Christ” (Galatians 1:22); “the body” (Ephesians 1:22,23); “saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1); “church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15); “church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23); among other descriptive terms. The book of Acts is filled with the early work of the church and the epistles show the fulfillment of that early work. This pattern continues to this day by those who follow the New Testament pattern given by God concerning His church.
It is important to understand that man has created a varied form of doctrine that has suited his own needs and wisdom of interpretation creating a myriad of churches. Does it matter if a church is not found in the Bible yet found in history of man as beginning by man? If a man lived in 1246 could he worship in the same manner as people do today with the many churches? God has given a simple book to follow and understand for all men – those living in the year 1246, 1492 or 2006 – or those living in 3006 (if the Lord wills). The Hebrew writer said the kingdom of his day “cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28). This kingdom has remained for nearly 2,000 years. This kingdom is the church patterned after the New Testament alone. back to top
Humanity is a diversity of people finding their own way in a world filled with the day to day grind of survival. From birth to death people live with values that shape their lives with certain characteristics and personalities derived from a need to find fulfillment in their own mind. Happiness is found in what gives them pleasure. Contentment ranges from the extreme of wasteful living to a sedated life of complacency. Drugs offer an escape for some; alcohol soothes the minds of many; immorality heightens the need for pleasure; wisdom drives the motives of seekers of knowledge; futility fills the lives of those who are hopeless. Life is seen in the eyes of all those who pass by and leave a ripple of their lives upon our shores.
Death is the microscope that intrudes upon the lives of those who live to themselves. In times of mourning and grief, life is focused upon the reality of what is important yet fleeting in the forgotten memories of days passed by. Times of hardship bring to focus the microscopic truth of life’s uncertainty and death’s finality. Souls parade before God with no concern of an eternal destiny believing the lie of Satan that life is all there is and all there is in life is living for the moment. The Deceiver knows the Truth yet fails to acknowledge this to those he enslaves. The masses of humanity flow endlessly through the tunnel of lies as they live for pleasure without a single concern for the real meaning of life ending in an eternal destruction.
Peter quoted the Psalmist King when he wrote: “He that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: And let him turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:10-12; Psalm 34:12-16). Peter illustrates that life is about choices and those decisions will bring true happiness in this life and the life that is to come or they will bring an eternity of regret. Humanity must see a moral code established by the Creator as the only measure of life worth living.
People live for themselves and their own desires. Jehovah can never have a part of their lives because there are restrictions and admonitions that must be followed. Man’s free will creates a free spirit of dependence upon his own desires of fleshly pleasure, pride and wisdom of self. The commandments given by God are protective in nature for man’s happiness here and in the world to come. “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
Those who come to God must give up self and selfish motives. Serving the Lord requires the emptying of arrogant pride to seek the will of the Lord alone. The rich man of Matthew 19 wanted eternal life but not at the cost of his wealth. The rich man of Luke 12 believed that life consisted of the things he possessed and did not make certain his soul. “Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv20-21).
What do you live for? What you live for is what you will die for. If you live for the world you will die with nothing. If you live for God you will die with everything. The promise of eternal life is all that matters. Death is certain. What are you certain of? back to top
The anniversary of the horrific events of September 11, 2001 is a day filled with memories of the deep inhumanity of man against man; when hatred fuels the motives of those who seek to destroy human life in large numbers; when a nation slumbered with the prosperity of opulence and indulgence is awakened to the carnage of international murder; and memories fill the mind with sorrow, despair and sadness that such an event was witnessed by millions as it unfolded. The effects were immediate and brutal. Shock waves of unbelief echoed in every soul as the full impact of one single day in history bore its brutal mark upon our hearts. It is still too painful to watch.
“Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the coastlands as a very little thing” (Isaiah 40:15). The great prophet Isaiah reminds us that as a nation we find a sense of pride in our greatness and human wisdom yet before the Creator we are as a drop in a bucket. Our structures of wealth may reach the sky but pale in comparison to the height of Him who made man from the dust. History repeats itself with the constant drone of man’s hatred as it is turned against other men and combined with man’s exultation become a series of events that destroy thousands of lives.
We are a feeble people. Our frailty is raw. The sorrow of commemoration is the painful reminder that we are only men of earthly stature that fill our heads with grandeur yet are as “grasshoppers” before Him who stretches out the heavens like a curtain (Isaiah 40:22). Thousands of lives were eternally impacted upon that fateful day and in a brief moment of our history; men came to realize the sanctity of life and value of “One Nation Under God.” We witnessed all the good of men destroyed by the evil of men to awaken within us a message of dependence to a Creator.
The apostle Paul declared upon the hill of Athens – surrounded with the affluence of the Roman world of his day – “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He spoke not of the gods of the Roman world but the true God who made the world and all that was in it. His plea was for men to remember the limitations of their habitation and to declare the reality of a Creators presence. No matter how high man builds his temples nor the vast wisdom man expands upon the horizon of his own intellect, the only lasting measure of truth is the constant presence of the Creator.
In a flash of horrific proportions lives were snuffed out. Faces of onlookers reflected the veracity of life and its deepest meaning. Life is not so much about the hustle and bustle of the maddening pace of man’s pursuits but the innermost core of what makes man different from the beast of the field – his soul. If man is to learn from the pages of history stained with the blood of his fellow man, it must come from the lesson of dependence one must have in Jehovah God. Isaiah declares: “Those who wait on Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Jehovah holds our breath in His hand (Daniel 5:23). Our task is to open our eyes to the vast expanse of His hand and the small dust we become in His presence. When humbled before the “I AM” we then can see clearly that He loved us enough to send His only begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16) and find comfort in times of sorrow – even on September 11. back to top
The president of the company calls an employee into the office to inform him that his employment has been terminated. Upon receiving the news of his dismissal, the employee questions the reason for his being released. Pulling out time sheets for the employee, the president shows that he has missed weeks of work with no accountability. “But I have not left the company, sir,” the employee replies. “I have been busy with ballgames, school, working in the yard and other things that have kept me from coming into work. Besides, I still believe in the company and I believe in what you are doing for the company. I am still a company man. In addition, could you please make certain that my paycheck is mailed and my retirement plan is filled? It does not look like I will be able to come into work so keep those things coming, please. When I get things worked out, I will be back at my desk.”
The preceding example is an illustration of how some people feel about their service to the Lord. No company of worth would continue to keep a person who had the kind of attitude expressed by the above story. It would be nice to work for a company that would allow one to come to work when it was convenient for them and still receive all the benefits and privileges of the company. Yet, men feel they can abandon the work of the Lord and still be in a covenant relationship with God. They expect the Lord to bless them without any obligation on their part.
Jehovah has always required devotion from his followers. He expects man to obey His will. The cause of sin in the world is when Adam and Eve disregarded the will of God in the garden (Genesis 3). Noah could not shirk his responsibility in building the ark (Genesis 6). Nadab and Abihu decided to be cavalier about their duties to the Lord in Leviticus 10 and were killed by God with fire. Uzzah lost his life because he disobeyed the will of God (2 Samuel 6). Jesus declared that only those who do the will of the Father will be saved (Matthew 7:21-23).
If someone neglects the commands of God, does he still love God? If a person physically absents himself from the duties of the Lord, is he still in a loving relationship with the Lord? If a man leaves his wife for six weeks returning with no explanation – is there love in this relationship? Often people delude themselves into believing they still love the Lord and yet fail to do His will. Jesus said: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me” (John 14:23-24).
Our service to God is not on our terms. Bearing a cross is not something that we can put down and take up whenever we choose. Too many people serve God as long as it is convenient to them. The cross Jesus bore was not convenient nor was it something He could put down because it interfered with His life. HE BORE HIS CROSS ALL THE WAY TO GOLGOTHA. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).
How dare we mock the cross of Jesus by pretending we can serve Him on our feeble excuses and say we love God? REPENT! back to top
Global Warming And God’s Promise
There is much in the news about the effects man has placed upon the environment with the buildup of greenhouse gases – primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Some scientist predict that by 2050 the temperature of the earth will increase 2% causing a rise in sea level, major changes in weather patterns and devastation of vegetation world wide. Answers to what will happen in the next century vary from author to scientist to politician. Fear grips some hearts as to the end of the world coming through the continued destruction by man of his environment.
It is certain that man has affected the world with his creations. We live in a world dominated by the technology of advanced science allowing man to travel and build in proportions never known to man before. Is there a dooms day warning ahead that will destroy man? The answer comes from one source: the Creator. Man will damage the world but man will not destroy the world. Human resources will alter in degrees the environment but will never create an “ice age” or “burning age” nor will the impact of global warming cause landmasses to be covered completely in water.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) and that has not changed. This establishes who is in control of the world. Man has done many things to the world (not just in our day) but he will never be in control of the world. Scriptures abound in the knowledge that God remains firmly in command of the world. “’Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord. 'Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it’” (Jeremiah 5:22). Eternal decrees placed by the Creator cannot be changed by man.
Job reminds us that God "stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud does not burst under them … By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?" (Job 26:7-14). These matters are only the fringes of the mighty ways God works in the world. What is man that he can alter God’s power? Job is reminded in Job 38-41 that Jehovah controls the world and all that is in it.
The psalmist declares the glory of God’s creation in Psalm 104 and that “He made the moon for the seasons; the sun knows the place of its setting. You appoint darkness and it becomes night” (Psalms 104:19-20; read the whole psalm). The wise man in the wisdom literature of Proverbs declares the establishment of God’s will in creation (Proverbs 8).
Man must learn to give better care to the world in which he lives. The reckless nature of man’s imagination has always caused harm – either to the world or to himself. The conclusion of the matter is that the destruction of the world is for God, not man (2 Peter 3:7). Until then we have a promise of God - "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). See also Psalms 74:16-17. Praise God HE is in control. back to top